This description relates to toys, and more particularly to skipping toys.
Conventional toys exist that include an element attached to a loop by a tether. A person plays with such a toy by, for example, loosely placing the loop around the ankle region of one of his or her legs, and then continuously moving the looped ankle in a small circular motion. In this way, the element horizontally revolves around the person""s looped ankle, as long as the person raises the of his or her non-looped leg in a skipping or hopping motion during each revolution of the element, so as to avoid the tether as it moves with the element.
A person""s ability to continuously twirl the element with one leg, while periodically raising the other leg so as not to impede the twirling of the element, provides an interesting game of physical dexterity and coordination.
According to one general aspect, a toy includes a collar adapted to fit around an ankle region of a person, a tether having a first end attached to the collar, a housing attached to a second end of the tether, and a multi-faceted, reflective object mounted within the housing.
Implementations may include one or more of the following features. For example, the housing may be partially-transparent. The object may be substantially spherical in shape, and may be mounted within the housing so as to move independently of the housing. The object may be mounted within the housing so as to rotate about an axis that generally corresponds to an axis defined by an attachment shaft connecting the tether to the housing.
The object may be mounted within the housing by a pair of diametrically-opposed shaft elements extended from the object, where the shaft elements are substantially aligned with an attachment shaft connecting the tether to the housing. In this case, the shaft elements may be received within a pair of cup-shaped elements inside the housing.
The housing may be weighted so as to rotatably engage a ground surface along a circumference of the housing during a rotation of the object around the ankle region, where the circumference is defined at an outermost diameter of the housing. In this case, the object may be mounted within the housing such that an equator of the object is substantially aligned with the circumference of the housing. Also, a counter may be contained within the housing and may be operable to produce and visually display a count corresponding to a number of successive rotations of the housing around the ankle region.
According to another general aspect, a toy includes a loop adapted to encircle an ankle region of a user, a semi-transparent housing containing a reflective polyhedron, where the polyhedron is movably mounted with respect to the housing, and a cord connecting the loop to the housing.
Implementations may include one or more of the following features. For example, the polyhedron may be substantially spherical in outline. Opposing ends of the polyhedron may be respectively mounted within a pair of concave elements.
A central axis of the polyhedron may be substantially aligned with the cord during a rotation of the housing around the ankle region. In this case, the polyhedron may be rotatable about the central axis.
A central cross-section of the polyhedron may be aligned with an outer circumference of the housing. Also, a counter may be included with the toy that is operable to produce and display an indication corresponding to a number of successive rotations of the housing around the ankle region.
According to another general aspect, a toy may be operated. In so doing, a loop is around an ankle region of a first leg of a user, and the first leg is moved so as to swing a housing attached to the loop by a tether around the ankle region. A second leg of the user is moved so as to avoid impeding the housing as it swings around the ankle region, and ambient light that passes through the housing is reflected off of a multi-sided element contained within the housing.
Implementations may include one or more of the following features. For example, in reflecting ambient light through the housing, the element may be moved independently of the housing during the moving the first leg. Also, a counter may be implemented to count successive rotations of the housing around the ankle region as a function of a number of revolutions of the housing around an axis defined by the tether during the movement of the first leg.
The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.